Each hyperbaric oxygen treatment is divided into three phases:
The compression phase is the time when the pressure is being built up around your body.
As the pressure is built up, you will feel a fullness of the ears, similar to that felt while skin diving, descending in an airplane, or driving down a high mountain.
The hyperbaric chamber operator will adjust the rate of pressure change according to your ability to relieve this fullness in your ears. The operator and the staff member accompanying you in the chamber will teach you methods of easing the pressure in the ears. This phase usually lasts about 5 minutes.
Once you reach the pressure the doctor has prescribed you may rest, listen to the radio, watch TV, or read.
An oxygen breathing hood (OBH) will be place over your head allowing you to receive your own personal high concentration of oxygen supply during the treatment.
You will breathe 100% oxygen in 30-minute blocks of time, taking air breaks for 5 minutes.
The length of time at full pressure is usually 1 hour and 50 minutes.
At the end of the treatment period, the chamber operator will tell you that it is time to decompress. You will notice that as the pressure is reduced your ears will adjust automatically. This phase usually lasts from 5 to 10 minutes.
Learn more about the Hyperbaric Chamber -- its capabilities and its restrictions.